What is Xbox Live and Why Do You Need It?

Under this material you will find the tag “partner material”, but in fact, I’m ready without it to tell you about Xbox Live and its benefits. For almost five years of using the service, I have never had any complaints about it. Unless the account was stolen once, but the technical support problem quickly and without unnecessary difficulties solved. I was unhappy with the console directly, was dissatisfied with the policy of Microsoft, but the online functionality of the Xbox has always been the benchmark. Below I will briefly talk about the main features of Xbox Live and share personal experience of its use.

What is this – Xbox Live?

Obviously, an online service from Microsoft. However, if you have not had any Xbox before, then your knowledge of “live” can end there. In short, the Xbox Live-a store of games, movies and music, plus a network platform for multiplayer modes in games. Today, however, it is added to this and streaming services that allow you to watch movies, TV shows and live broadcasts from various events. Operates and develops the whole thing already since 2002 and run at the first Xbox. Then the online functionality on the game console was almost a sensation.

What’s Special in Xbox Live?

Special in it – the speed and stability of the connection. Such simple but important things. Not so long ago, even an independent analytical Agency wrote about this. For us, this means extremely rare discounts, a comfortable network game and the highest possible speed of downloading content (I have through the cable gives an honest 100 megabits) — then Microsoft holds the brand. And it’s not just about the games. I, for example, often watch live broadcasts on WWE Network via Xbox Live: the image quality is much better than when viewed through a browser on a PC, the connection almost never disappears. Streaming with Netflix also works fine, and recently on the Xbox one in full force and earned the Russian online cinema ivi, now the owners of the console are available paid premieres and premium subscription.

What About Social Functionality?

To some extent, Xbox Live is a social network. There is a detailed profile of the player, collecting his achievements, the ability to communicate with other players in the text, voice and video chat, the ability to join clubs, show off achievements, that’s all. You can publish screenshots, videos (Xbox One can record them) and even just text messages in your feed, as in the same “Twitter”. If such things are interesting to you — Live will not disappoint.

Xbox Live is Only on Xbox Consoles?

No, on Windows too. In some way. First appeared on Vista and was called Games for Windows Live. Problems with him were more than good, and the service was closed in 2013. With the release of Windows 10 more or less normal “live” appeared on the PC as an application for Xbox. All social functionality is available here. Using this app you can stream the image with the Xbox One on a PC. The quality of streaming is good and you can play with a convenient gamepad, even if the Xbox One does not support it — almost life hack. The application with similar functionality, but without streaming is on smartphones.

Well, What is Xbox Live Gold?

The standard Xbox Live, which was once called “silver”, allows you to enjoy almost all the benefits of the service, except for the game on the network. Yes, drive in the evening with friends in the multiplayer Halo 5 without a paid subscription will not work. But it was always so, here you can only accept.

So I’m Actually Paying Money Just for Playing Online?

Once it was, but now for gold subscribers the program games with Gold. In fact, it is an analogue of PS Plus – every month you get a pack of free games. Exclusive discounts are also in place, sometimes very good, especially during mass sales.

What are Those Games?

During this year, subscribers received Mirror’s Edge, WWE 2K16, Forza Horizon, XCOM, The Crew, Lords of the Fallen and much more for free. Even my favourite Sunset Overdrive was a five-minute to a ten-minute game. Prohodnyak is extremely rare, frankly failed months have not happened for two years. Quite fresh projects often fall into the list. A lot of great games with Xbox 360 (do not forget about backward compatibility). And the” big ” indie projects also Shine – that’s The Banner Saga 2 at all at the same time with the release on Xbox one was available to gold subscribers for free.

Xbox 360 Games

No, you can install games for Xbox 360 from discs and download them from the store without a gold subscription. The prices for classics, by the way, are extremely democratic, I even those things that I have on disks buy more in figure — so it is much more convenient. But if you want to drive an old game on the network, you can not do without Gold-status.

And Cross-Platform Multiplayer Xbox Live Supports

Yeah, since the Xbox 360. The most recent examples are Gears of War 4. It can be together with a friend playing on the PC and multiplayer run, and the campaign held. Given that now slowly there is an integration of Windows and Xbox into a single ecosystem – in the future, such games will become more and more. Moreover, Microsoft is not against cross-platform multiplayer even between Xbox One and PS4, the case for Sony.

If I Bought the Gears of War 4 on Xbox One, But Want to Play it on PC, I Must Buy the Game Again?

No, Gears of War 4 is part of the Xbox Play Anywhere program. By purchasing a game for one platform, you get a copy for another. Even saves can be moved. Of course, we are talking about digital versions. I already use this function in full-in Forza Horizon 3 regularly I drive both on the PC, and on Xbox One, and I began to ReCore to take place on a prefix, but finished already on the laptop. Convenience is obvious.